Vehicle Type: Sport Utility Vehicle

Price Range: $26,220 to $37,400

Fuel Economy: 17 mpg city/26 mpg highway (estimated)

Engine: 4.7- liter , 235- horsepower V8 or 4.0-liter, 195-horsepower inline 6 Front Engine/ Rear and 4-wheel Drive

Transmission: electronically-controlled transmission

Safety Features: Driver and passenger side airbags are standard

Kitsap, Washington -- I would have hated to be the program manager of the latest Grand Cherokee. When you are charged with rebuilding the vehicle on which the current sport utility craze is largely founded, the opportunities for failure abound. Jeep made it clear that good enough was not acceptable - nothing less than clear superiority would be tolerated.

Highlighting this, Jeep executives gleefully displayed a small cloth bag, too tiny for an anorexic lunch, which contained all the parts carried over from the past model. With only 127 carry-over parts from the 1998 Grand Cherokee, the new vehicle has no compromises in meeting the urban, suburban, and back country challenges.

"The new Grand Cherokee is improved in every respect," said Martin R. Levine, General Manager - Chrysler/Plymouth/Jeep Division. "Because of efficiencies achieved in the development of the Grand Cherokee, we can offer a completely new design, state-of-the-art technology, better ergonomics and an incomparable level of refinement and luxury at a price that is equal to last year's model."